Underwater hotel to be built in Dubai

3rd May 2012

A lavish, futuristic-looking resort is to be constructed 10m under the sea off the Emirate's coast

Shipbuilding company Drydocks World has signed a multi-million dollar deal with Swiss BIG InvestConsult to develop an underwater resort off the coast of Dubai. The development, named the Water Discus Hotel, will be partially submerged beneath the sea so guests can watch the underwater world go by in the comfort of their own room.

Designs show two discs, one fully submerged and one above sea level, that are joined by four perpendicular columns. There will be several other connecting pods which will house a spa, restaurant and a special recreation area. The sci-fi-looking resort will also host 21 submerged rooms, a dive centre and even a helicopter pad.

At 10m below the surface, each room will have great views of the coral reef and to make the most of this feature, accommodation will be equipped with remote control, underwater cameras that take macro photos of the surrounding marine flora and fauna.

No information on when the project will be begin, or where exactly the Discus Hotel will be located has been announced.

One of the world's first hotels under-the-sea was Jules' Undersea Lodge, originally built for research purposes, it now serves as an underwater guest house. Not only is a couple of nights at Jules' an underwater adventure, but it's also throwback to the 1980s.

Poseidon in Fiji was one of the first luxury underwater resorts, where guests can attract tropical fish to the depths of their 12m-deep pod with a push of button: fish food is readily spouted from rooms to attract the likes of Nemo. Meanwhile, the Maldives has been pushing for a whole underwater themed resort with an underwater hotel, a floating golf course and a submerged nightclub in the making.

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